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The Circle
497 pages, 2014
The Circle by Dave Eggers is a bestselling dystopian novel that tackles the alarming intrusions of technology in our lives. When Mae Holland is hired to work for the Circle, the world’s most powerful internet company, she feels she’s been given the opportunity of a lifetime. The Circle, run out of a sprawling California campus, links users’ personal emails, social media, banking and purchasing with their universal operating system, resulting in one online identity and a new age of civility and transparency. But as Mae tours the open-plan office spaces, the towering glass dining facilities, the cozy dorms for those who spend nights at work, she begins to see that not everyone is enjoying this utopia – there are those who fall victim to its games.
In The Circle, Dave Eggers explores the concept of transparency in a digital age. He shows how the Circle, a powerful tech company, uses transparency as a tool for control. This makes us question how much of our lives we're willing to share online.
Eggers paints a picture of a world dominated by a single tech company, the Circle. This monopoly leads to a loss of privacy and individuality. It's a wake-up call to check the power of big tech companies in our own world.
The Circle presents itself as a utopia, but as you dig into the book, you'll find it's far from it. This is a reminder to always question things that seem too good to be true, especially when it comes to technology.
The book explores how technology can affect our relationships. The protagonist, Mae, becomes so engrossed in her online life that she neglects her real-life relationships. This is a call to balance our online and offline lives.
The Circle's motto is 'Privacy is Theft'. This makes us think about how much of our personal information we're willing to give up for the sake of convenience. It's a reminder to protect our privacy in a world that's increasingly online.
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The Circle is a prescient, important and enjoyable book. Dave Eggers has spun a haunting tale of friendship and innovation gone awry.
John Green - Author, VloggerThe Circle is a gripping modern thriller that chillingly portrays a futuristic world where privacy is extinct.
Margaret Atwood - Author, Environmental ActivistThe Circle is a deft modern synthesis of Swiftian wit with Orwellian prognostication. It's a warning.
Stephen King - Author, Horror FictionRecommendations
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